Melissa de la Cruz

Melissa de la Cruz (born 1971) is a New York Times bestselling Filipina-American author known for her work in young adult fiction. She has written several series of young adult novels, including the Au Pair series and the Blue Bloods series, and a contemporary fiction series following The Beauchamp Family, as well as a number of stand-alone novels.

Melissa de la Cruz
Born (1971-09-07) September 7, 1971
Manila, Philippines
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Alma materColumbia University
GenreYoung Adult and Teen Fiction
Notable worksBlue Bloods, Witches of East End
Years active1996-present
SpouseMichael Johnston
Children1
Website
www.melissa-delacruz.com

Early life and education

Melissa de la Cruz was born in Manila, Philippines and says that she has wanted to be an author since she was eleven years old.[1]

She immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 13, in 1985.[2] The family settled in San Francisco, where she graduated from Convent of the Sacred Heart High School. She went on to study art history and English at Columbia University in New York City.[3][4] After graduation, she worked as a computer consultant.[5]

Personal life

De la Cruz is married to author Michael Johnston,[6][7] with whom she co-authored the Heart of Dread series.[2]

She lives in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, California with her husband and daughter.[8][9]

Career

She wrote her first full-length novel at 22 while living in New York City and working at Bankers Trust.[5] The novel ultimately didn't sell, but she received a suggestion by an editor at Little, Brown to try becoming a journalist to work on her professional writing credits and started working freelance.[1][5] She published her first essay in New York Press in 1996 and worked as a beauty and fashion editor up until she sold her first novel, The Cat's Meow, in 1998.[1][5] De la Cruz has published articles with The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and Harper's Magazine.[10] After her first novel's publication in 2001, she started pursuing writing full-time, after getting laid off from the U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley.[5]

Her work as a fashion writer for Marie Claire was the inspiration for How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less which she co-authored with Karen Robinovitz.[11]

Her work as a nanny and her visits to The Hamptons formed the background for the book series The Au Pairs.[12] With the first published in 2015, she has also written the original novels for Disney's Descendants franchise.

Series
  • Au Pairs – The first book in this series about three girls working as au pairs in The Hamptons, The Au Pairs, was published in 2004
  • Blue Bloods – A vampire novel series, with the first novel, Blue Bloods, published in March 2006[13]
  • The Ashleys – The first book in a series about girls who attend an exclusive preparatory school, The Ashleys: There's a New Name in School, was published in 2008.
  • The Beauchamp Family - The first book in a series about a family of witches, Witches of East End, was released in June 2011. It was adapted into a television series by Lifetime in 2013, with the show lasting two seasons before it was cancelled.[14]
  • Wolf Pact - This spin-off from the Blue Bloods series was released from September to December 2012 as four short e-books. It was later published in paperback.
  • Heart of Dread - The first novel Frozen, co-written with her husband Michael Johnston, was released on September 17, 2013[15]
  • The Ring & the Crown - A historical fiction series about five young adults embroiled in love, politics, and magic during a London coming-of-age season.
  • Alex & Eliza - A historical fiction young adult series following the romance between American founding father Alexander Hamilton and his wife Elizabeth Schuyler.
  • 29 - A young adult contemporary series focusing on a South Korean teen and her path to finding love.

Bibliography

Au Pairs

  1. The Au Pairs (2004)
  2. Skinny Dipping (2005)
  3. Sun-Kissed (2006)
  4. Crazy Hot (2007)

Blue Bloods

  1. Blue Bloods (2006)
  2. Masquerade (2007)
  3. Revelations (2008)
  4. The Van Alen Legacy (2009)
  5. Misguided Angel (2010)
  6. Lost in Time (2011)
  7. Gates of Paradise (2013)
  8. Vampires of Manhattan (2014)
  9. White Nights (2017)

Blue Bloods Novellas

  1. Keys to the Repository (2010)
  2. Bloody Valentine (2010)

The Ashleys

  1. There's a New Name in School... (2008)
  2. Jealous? You Know You Are... (2008)
  3. Birthday Vicious (2008)
  4. Lipgloss Jungle (2008)

The Beauchamp Family

  1. Prequel: Diary of the White Witch (2012)
  2. Witches of East End (2011)
  3. Serpent's Kiss (2012)
  4. Winds of Salem (2013)

Heart of Dread, co-authored with Michael Johnston

  1. Frozen (2013)
  2. Stolen (2014)
  3. Golden (2016)

The Ring & the Crown

  1. The Ring & the Crown (2014)
  2. The Lily and the Cross (2017)

Summer on East End

  1. Triple Moon (2015)
  2. Double Eclipse (2016)

Disney Descendants

  1. The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2015)
  2. Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2016)
  3. Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2017)
  4. Escape from the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2019)

Alex & Eliza

  1. Alex and Eliza (2017)
  2. Love & War (2018)
  3. All for One (2019)

29

  1. 29 Dates (2019)
  2. 29 Boyfriends (2019)

Never After

  1. The Thirteenth Fairy (2020)

Stand-alone novels

  • Cat's Meow (2001)
  • How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less (co-authored with Karen Robinovitz) (2003)
  • The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-Inch Heels and Faux Pas (2004)[16]
  • Fresh off the Boat (2005)
  • Angels on Sunset Boulevard (2007)
  • Girl Stays in the Picture (2009)
  • Wolf Pact (2012)
  • Surviving High School: A Novel (2016)
  • Something In Between (2016)
  • "Pride & Prejudice & Mistletoe" (2017)
  • Someone to Love (2018)
  • Once Upon A River (2018) [17]
  • Gotham High (2020) [18]
  • Jo & Laurie (co-author) (2020)

Anthologies

  • Mistletoe (contributing author) (2006)
  • "Shelter Island" in the anthology 666: The Number of the Beast (2007)
  • 21 Proms (2007)
  • "A Manhattan Love Story" in anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (2007)[19]
  • "Shelter Island" a short story in anthology The Eternal Kiss (2009)

References
  1. Sharon (2017-11-09). "Shaz's Book Blog: Author Interview: Melissa de la Cruz". Shaz's Book Blog. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  2. www.publishersweekly.com https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/58518-q-a-with-melissa-de-la-cruz-and-michael-johnston.html. Retrieved 2019-07-08. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. New York, Volume 34, 2001, p. 14
  4. melissa-delacruz.com. About Melissa retrieved 2010-10-03
  5. "Author Interview: Melissa de la Cruz on Blue Bloods". Cynthia Leitich Smith. 2007-09-25. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  6. "I Wanna Be Sedated - The official website of author Melissa de la Cruz". melissa-delacruz.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  7. "Q & A with Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. "About Melissa - The official website of author Melissa de la Cruz". melissa-delacruz.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  9. Yeffeth, Laura. "About". Melissa de la Cruz. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  10. Library of Congress. "Melissa de la Cruz", retrieved 2019-03-07.
  11. Critchell, Samantha, "Fashion Followers Write The Book On Achieving Fame", Tuscaloosa News via Associated Press, 27 July 2003, p. 4E retrieved 2010-10-03
  12. Jacobson, Aileen. "Teen chick lit finds a niche, often with racy prose". St. Louis Post Dispatch via Newsday, 2 June 2004 retrieved 2010-10-03. (Quote: "Melissa de la Cruz has been a nanny and she's been to the Hamptons She combined the two experiences to help her write The Au Pairs a chick lit novel...")
  13. Olson, Amy. "Blue Bloods" (Review of audiobook edition), School Library Journal, 10 February 2009
  14. The Deadline Team. "Lifetime Orders 'The Secret Lives Of Wives', 'Witches Of East End' Pilots". Deadline. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  15. Melissa de la Cruz. "Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz - Penguin Books USA". Penguin Books USA. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  16. Green, Penelope (November 14, 2004). "Love and Ruin". New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  17. "Reviewed by Judy Clemens in New York Journal of Books".
  18. https://www.cbr.com/gotham-high-graphic-novel-asian-america-bruce-wayne/
  19. Parks, Joy (June 3, 2007). "Dishing on straight girls and their gay boyfriends". SF Gate. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
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